Toy Soldiers
by nayadeblue
Summary: NaminéRoxas;- Alternate Universe. Naminé stumbled into Hollow Bastion to discover that she must join the epic warfront of Keyblade Wielders in their apocalyptic fight against the surrounding Heartless. She could be the only hope they have left, but she has her own inner demons to face... -; TO BE REWRITTEN AS "End Of All Days"
1. Infected & A New World

**author's note.**

I'm sorry about how much I start and delete stories. I know I'm unreliable, but I'm investing my time into this story, and I have enough enthusiasm about it to keep going. I'm going for something a lot more serious this time, something that involves more fighting than teenage drama.

It's going to be a mix between Kingdom Hearts and Soul Eater. It's an AU, but it has more elements of the Kingdom Hearts universe than any of my stories before it. Also, it's taken direct elements from Dead Fantasy as well. If you haven't looked it up, do it now.

**disclaimer:- **Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix and Disney. Dead Fantasy belongs to Monty Oum. Naminé's weapon was created by CBJ3 on Deviant Art.

There are links to these fantastic artists on my profile.

**enjoi.**

* * *

**Toy Soldiers**

_"I sat in the dark and thought: There's no big apocalypse. Just an endless procession of little ones."_ ~Neil Gaiman, _Signal to Noise_

Prologue: _Infected_

_I was born in Dark City. It was a land of darkness and eternal night. The tops of the skyscrapers clawed at the heavens, with their pointy tops and gold lit windows. _

_I was only a small girl, when the Heartless used this world to begin the apocalypse._

_We didn't understand anything that was happening. These beings of pure shadow came to us and started ripping everyone to shreds, but they didn't leave bodies. Anyone that was attacked by these vicious, bloodthirsty creatures was 'infected'. It wasn't long before their bodies corroded, and all that was left, was a disgusting wicked creature who longed for the hearts of those around it. There was no chance for anyone that had been infected._

_We were unprepared for this assault. _

_The Heartless invaded my city, desecrating my home, murdering everyone I held dear._

_I remember running through buildings, ransacking medical supplies, running through every single weapon I could find, to make sure I kept on surviving, so I might find a place where I could be safe. I was filthy, exhausted, starving, and yet I still managed to become one of the only ones left in my world. I was but a child, but adults cared more for their own safety now. It was everyone for themselves. _

_It felt like I was trapped there for days, attempting to live through the apocalypse. And then I met him. _

_I was running past Memory Skyscraper. I remember I'd been hiding in there, picking up any food I could find and using it as shelter, but they eventually found me. _

_He was a boy, about my age, maybe a little bit older. He was with another, a man older than us, possibly twenty, twenty-two or so. Both of them held weapons I'd never seen before. They looked like incredibly decorative keys. They came to my aid immediately, telling me to run as they fought off the Heartless valiantly. Alas, they were new to the weapons in their hands, and I watched from a distance as they were engulfed in darkness too. _

_I cried for my saviours, running to safety as fast as I could before landing in a corner. _

_I pressed myself up against a corner. The last thing I saw, before my vision blurred out was the stars as I succumbed to evil's embrace._

_My name is Naminé D'Ambroise._

_That is how I died._

Chapter One: _A New World_

She stepped out of the cool embrace of the shadows, small tiny form wrapped with a cream trench coat as she emerged at her destination. Behind her, the Corridor of Darkness swirled a blue-purple concoction before shrinking into non-existence. She was nervous and scared. It was the first time she'd used the Corridors of Darkness to travel to anywhere outside of Dark City.

To anyone that spotted this small, slender teen, they would have thought her no different from anyone else that happened upon Hollow Bastion. But if you knew what was underneath her trench coat, you would have been surprised. Naminé was dressed in a tight white garment which was tattered, bloody and worn from her continuous struggles with the Heartless in her world. Her skin, which was a smooth white colour, was dirtied and cut in multiple places. Her hair, a beautiful platinum blond, was matted and oily, from lack of showering, and the inability to find water. She was staggering, from exhaustion, from hunger, and from fighting far too long. Her fingers, long delicate instruments, were callused and bloody from gripping the hilt of her weapon too long.

She was Naminé.

The last survivor of Dark City.

Of course, there had been one point when she didn't think she would survive, but we can get to that later.

It had been over three years since the Heartless had invaded Dark City, and Naminé was now around seventeen years of age. She could have been mistaken for someone younger though, with her tiny built and slender limbs. Years of fighting and malnutrition could do that to a person. She roved large blue eyes over her new environment. When she ran into the Corridors of Darkness, she had absolutely no idea where she was going to end up, just that she was going to use all her strength to get her somewhere that wasn't Dark City. She'd been spending so much time alone, she had to go somewhere else, had to be somewhere with more people.

And then she'd ended up here.

It had taken up almost all of her energy supplies, and now she was going to collapse. She just knew it.

"Hey!" she called to a random passer-by. All she noticed about the stranger was that she had bright blue hair. She saw her running closer, and then her sight wavered and started turning black.

"… Are you… oka…?"

"Please…" Naminé panted, "tell me where I am. I'm not still in Dark City, am I?"

"…Hollow Bastion…"

She smiled as everything turned to black.

She'd finally made it out of Dark City.

* * *

"…Infected... let… dangerous…"

"…Like… impossible… Seriously?"

"…Pretty… honestly… Wielder… City."

When Naminé came to, she was in an enclosed stone room, surrounded with a white curtain. She opened her eyes to see two figures over her, one had bright blue hair, and the other had vibrant red hair. They both looked familiar.

"Oh, look, she's waking up… Shut your mouth, Axel."

"I can't help it! Someone else from Dark City? That's pretty damn cool. I thought everyone else was dead."

"Of course you thought they were dead. The Heartless attacked your home first. There was no way you could have anticipated their arrival. How could someone like her survive? Look how thin she is!"

She squinted her eyes before forcing them open again. She couldn't feel her arms. She started to panic.

"Oh… God… I'm not in Dark City…"

"No, you're not, Doll Face, and thank Hyne you're not," said the one called Axel. He looked very familiar… he couldn't be… _no_.

"Are you… did you save me from the Heartless? In Dark City?"

"Holy shit!" Axel exclaimed, making me wince. "You're not _that_ girl, are you?! Fucking hell. You _are!_"

Pain reverberated everywhere, but she forced myself up. She was starving, and her limbs refused to hold her up. They were shaking violently. She certainly felt like she was still in Dark City. She'd spent so many years starving and ransacking buildings for food and medical supplies.

"Lie down, Honey," said the blue-haired woman, pressing her hands against Naminé's shoulders and forcing her down. "Are you hungry?"

"Famished…" she forced between parched lips, "I haven't eaten in three days."

_"Three days?!" _Axel and the unnamed woman exclaimed at the same time.

"I'll go get her some food, and maybe tell Master Eraqus that she's here."

"You couldn't take her to a normal hospital?"

"They wouldn't have treated her immediately. There are too many Heartless injuries to cater to," she replied snippily before a door closing told Naminé she wasn't in the room any more. Oh no. So there were Heartless in this world as well? She'd travelled through the Corridors of Darkness to get _away_ from the Heartless, but it just turned out that there were more here. She was disappointed, but she was happy that there were other people here too, not to mention the men who had saved her when she was still fourteen.

"How did you survive?" Axel asked me, sitting down on the chair next to my cot.

"I thought you two would be dead," she said, her voice scratchy from disuse. When all you did was run around and fight, you didn't have much use for your voice. She didn't speak to herself to keep her company, she didn't yell at the Heartless to stop advancing on her. She knew it was a futile effort.

"Roxas and I? Yeah, we thought we were goners too," Axel let out a humourless laugh. So the little one's name was Roxas. She could still remember him now; how serious his eyes had looked, despite being so young. She watched in horror as they were both eaten by the darkness. She thought she would never see them again. "But for some reason we survived, albeit it wasn't an uneventful reincarnation."

"Reincarnation?" she murmured.

"Hey, how about I talk to you about this when you're in better shape?" he said, patting her head and smoothing her hair down. She just knew that she was going to sleep again. It was a battle to keep her eyes open. She'd spent too much time battling. It was nice to know she could fall asleep, and she'd definitely wake up when she opened my eyes.

"Can I…?" she yawned. "Can I meet Roxas? I'd like to thank the both of you… for what you did…"

"Eventually, Sweet Cheeks. Just rest up for now…"

She fell into visions of a serious, blond-haired blue eyed boy, who she once hailed as her hero.

* * *

When she woke up the next day, there was a fresh bowl of soup and three slices of thick sour dough bread on the stand next to her cot. She hoisted the tray onto makeshift table in front of her and attacked the soup greedily, scalding her tongue, but not caring because she was absolutely starving. The day before she decided to head through the Corridor of Darkness to reach Hollow Bastion, her stomach had been aching because she couldn't find any food anywhere.

She ate so fast she had temporary hiccups. The soup dribbled down her chin and she used the bread to mop up whatever remained, eating everything gratefully. She sighed when she finished the meal, completely full. She'd never felt this satisfied. It was so hard to find food in Dark City that she often blacked out from complete exhaustion. Sometimes it wasn't in a safe area, and she had paid the consequences of her actions.

She looked around, finding herself alone. She stretched languidly, finding that her arms, scarred and cut from attacks of Heartless, were now perfectly healed. It was as if she had never been attacked in her first place. Aches she'd had all through her fighting years were now gone. There was a little golden ball on the table that said 'Drink Me'. She shrugged her shoulders, feeling parched and took it, gulping it down. It tasted like warm milk and sugar, and it rejuvenated every part of her.

She was feeling better than she had in years. Suddenly bored and curious about her environment, she got out of bed and wandered around. She was still wearing her filthy dress. She couldn't get rid of it. It had been her mother's. Whenever Naminé had the energy, she'd use the Corridors of Darkness to come back to her house, but normally, she'd just use whatever clothes she could find.

Past her curtain, there were more beds, most of them occupied by people who were sleeping. She found her trench coat and put it on, slipping out of the huge double doors she assumed were the entrance to the medical wing.

_What was that strange concoction I drank? If I had something like that in Dark City, then surviving wouldn't have been as hard. _

She walked slowly through the halls of a huge building. Around a corner she noticed a window and looked outside, astounded when she saw an entire kingdom flourishing right before her eyes. And there were so many _people_ around her. The walls of this… was it a mansion? A sky scraper? Well, it was well furnished with pictures lining the walls of other strange areas. One of them was in a forest filled with those jingly-bell Heartless, and there was another pictures of a giant yellow arena with a champion standing on a pedestal.

Naminé was so enraptured with the environment around her, that she failed to notice she was about to bump into someone until it happened. There was a clatter of books and she fell to the floor, cradling a sore head. She refocused her attention and found she'd bumped into a beautiful red-haired girl.

"I apologise, sincerely," Naminé said to her, attempting to hold the girl up.

"It's alright," the red-head smiled, picking up her books. She looked at Naminé's clothing before wincing a little. "Oh, you must be the girl Master Aqua picked up."

"Master Aqua?" _Oh, was that the name of the one who found me?_ "Is that the woman with the blue hair?"

"Oh yeah, that was her. You were lucky she found you when she did. If you were found and taken to the normal hospital, then you wouldn't have been treated for a week or so."

Naminé pulled on a lock of her hair nervously. She didn't know how to interact well with other people, because it had been years since her last conversation. But she had been a polite, well-mannered girl before the Heartless came. She knew that if she wanted to get anywhere, she was going to have to move with the changes instead of fighting against them. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what is she a master of?"

"The Keyblade of course."

"What's a Keyblade?" she asked her. "It isn't one of those weapons that look like keys, are they?"

"Yeah, you're right," the other girl grinned. The girl reached out and a blinding flash of sparkling white light appeared. In her hand sat a beautifully colourful Keyblade fashioned from flowers which were made out of incredibly sharp metal. It looked a lot more decorative than fearful, but it was the only Keyblade she'd seen… apart from…

"Mine looks a lot less colourful than that…" Naminé murmured.

"You can _wield_ a Keyblade?!" the red-head said in surprise.

"Yeah," Naminé replied, nodding her head. She reached out and summoned her own Keyblade. Naminé's own was a beautiful white and silver design made up of twisting white vines and intricate, sharper-than daggers metal. "It's called Lunar Eclipse."

"Mine is called Destiny's Embrace," the red-head said, grinning widely as she offered Naminé her hand. "Hi, I'm Kairi."

"I'm Naminé," she replied happily, glad to have made a friend. "I'm sorry if I'm a little awkward. I haven't spoken to anyone else since I was fourteen."

"Since you were fourteen?!" Kairi exclaimed. "So… where did you live before now?"

"Dark City."

_"Dark City?!" _the red-head shook her head, placing a hand to her forehead. "Hyne… Naminé, you're full of surprises. We've got to tell one of the masters than you can wield a Keyblade. But first we should get you in some clean clothes. It looks like we're about the same size, you can borrow some of mine. And maybe you should have a shower too."

"Why?"

"Um, Naminé, no offence, but-"

"Oh no, I can understand why I need a shower, but why do you need to tell the masters that I can summon a Keyblade?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"So you can enrol in this academy of course," Kairi replied, placing her hand on Naminé's shoulder. "It isn't just anyone that can wield a Keyblade, Naminé. Everyone at The Castle is a Keyblade Wielder.

"We're the _only_ hope humanity has left of defeating the Heartless."

**tbc.**

* * *

I think I'll leave it there for now. Please leave a review before following the story/following me/favouriting the story/favouriting me. I'm looking forward to hearing any opinions.

Ciao, lovelies!


	2. Introductions

**author's note.**

I realise that the lack of response for this fanfiction has something to do with the fact that it isn't a cutesy high-school drama anymore. It's kind of disappointing, but I've been wanting to try something different for a while.

**note** There's a link to a picture of Naminé's keyblade on my profile. It was created by the amazing CBJ3 on DeviantArt.

**enjoi.**

* * *

**Toy Soldiers**

_"Never underestimate the capacity of another human being to have exactly the same shortcomings you have."_ ~Leigh Steinberg

Chapter Two: _Introductions_

Naminé was sitting in Kairi's dorm room with a towel wrapped around her head wearing a loose flowy robe as the red-head attempted to look through her closet for something Naminé would wear. The blond was drying her hair and wondering how a Keyblade Wielder would ever have the time for fashion, but Kairi amazed her with the sheer size of her wardrobe.

She threw a pair of undergarments in Naminé's direction, laughing when she blushed.  
"Don't worry, Honey. They're new, I haven't worn them yet." She said as she once again dived into her walk in wardrobe. Eventually she produced a cream shirt, some black skinny jeans, a pair of grey boots, and a warm fur-trimmed bomber jacket. Naminé looked like a whole new person once she was wearing the desirable clothing, and had cleaned herself up. "There we go. Good as new."

"How can I ever repay you, Kairi?" Naminé said, clasping her hands in her own.

Kairi laughed and patted Naminé on the head, "Don't worry about it. The public are happy to do whatever they can to make Keyblade Wielders happy."

"Really?"

"Yes, and that includes donating their most fashionable clothing." Kairi closed her closet, brushing her bangs from her face. "Sure, the textiles industry isn't as popular as the weapon forgers, or the medicinal clinics, but it does exist. We can't walk around naked after all."

"That is true," Naminé nodded. She was still so giddy about the new clothing. Still, she held her mother's dress in her hands. She looked up at Kairi and then down at the dress. "Is there a place where I might wash this?"

"You're actually going to keep those tattered rags?"

"They were my mother's."

"Oh," Kairi blushed, placing her hand on Naminé's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise they held sentimental value. Yeah, sure. There are maids around The Castle that'll be happy to wash it. Just give it to me." Naminé handed Kairi the folded dress and she placed a note atop it that said 'Please wash. Do NOT throw away' before she grabbed Naminé's wrist and led her out of the room. "Naminé, I cannot tell you how happy I am that there's another female Keyblade Wielder."

"There aren't many female Keyblade Wielders?" she asked in surprise.

"No, and it's exhausting dealing with men absolutely everywhere I go. I have a break when it comes to Master Aqua, but you know, she isn't my age. And the only other female Keyblade Wielder is an absolute witch."

"Oh," Naminé said, "so she knows how to wield magic?"

Kairi laughed, "Well, I'll admit Xion is talented when it comes to elemental magic… almost _too_ good you know? She doesn't have the control over her Keyblade most of us do. Sometimes it refuses to appear in her hand. Little rebellious thing." She giggled behind her hand. Naminé was going to comment that it was mean to point out other people's short comings but she didn't want to offend Kairi right off the bat. She would see for herself how irritating this Xion came to be.

"What were you doing before I bumped into you?"

"Just homework."

"Homework?"

"Yeah," Kairi nodded. "I'm alright with Keyblade, but my spells aren't that great. I got a little bit of a late start in my Keyblade wielding classes. I didn't realise I could hold one until Riku gave me his to fight with temporarily. Now Sora, he's had his for who knows how long. He was the first one out of the students here to realise he could wield a Keyblade."

"Sora and Riku, they're your friends?" she asked tentatively.

"Mhmm. We came from the world Destiny Islands, before it was overrun with Heartless. If we hadn't built a raft right before the invasion, then we probably wouldn't have made it."

"You made a _raft_ to get out of your world?"

"Yes," Kairi said, nodding her head. "You stumble upon other worlds by accident after all. There's no definite way to travel to other worlds unless you're taking the Mysterious Train."

"The Mysterious Train?"

"Yeah! Roxas, Axel and Xion found it in Twilight Town and it led them here. Apparently it's connected to the other worlds, but Master Eraqus never lets us travel to other worlds unless it's for a special mission. And you have to be a certain rank to go on certain missions."

Naminé's head was dizzy with information. She clutched it, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on. She was grateful that Kairi was so willing to disclose the information to a stranger, but she was sure it had more to do with the fact that she was also a Keyblade Wielder, but she just couldn't take all of it in at once. She'd just spent three years of hacking and fighting using the Keyblade, but the heartless population never, ever seemed to cease.

"Oh, maybe I overdid it with the information. C'mon, Naminé," Kairi said, skipping down the halls. All of them looked the same to her, so she'd trust that Kairi knew where she was going. They ran down a flight of stairs and passed a room which looked to be entirely made out of technology.

_"Good afternoon, Keyblade Apprentice Kairi."_

Naminé shrieked when she heard the voice, but Kairi simply laughed, "Good afternoon, Tron!"

"What the-?" Naminé said as she looked around the room trying to figure out what just happened.

"I'll explain later."

After moving through more pink halls which seemed to be in incredibly bad shape. Actually, most of The Castle looked pretty shoddy to Naminé. Maybe the Heartless had made it past the safety walls of the kingdom. She'd seen them gathering just outside the kingdom borders.

"Sorry about the mess. Leon can only devote so much time to the Restoration Committee, seeing as he's a Keyblade Wielder as well."

Naminé nodded, "That sounds like a lot of work." This 'Leon' was surely an admirable person. The blond was doing the best she could to understand everything Kairi was saying, even without the necessary explanation as to who everyone was. She was mentioning people left and right, but Naminé had no idea who they were.

"Well, if Cloud helped out from time to time, it wouldn't be so bad. Those two and Axel are the only Keyblade Wielders who still use other weapons _apart_ from the Keyblades they can summon."

"Why would they use _other_ weapons?" she asked in confusion.

Kairi shrugged as she ran, "For some reason, they can do a lot more damage with their other weapons, and then they summon the Keyblade for the finishing blow. Those three are really strange."

"You're telling me…"

We ran out through a really pretty entrance hall before landing in… "This is the Postern; this is normally where Master Aqua likes to train her students."

"That's her," she said, pointing to a woman who was watching two other Keyblade Wielders fight. One of them was Roxas!

They walked up to the three Keyblade Wielders slowly, and Aqua's attention slowly turned towards Kairi and their new guest. She gave Kairi a 'really?' look before crossing her arms over her chest. Aqua was wearing a strange ensemble; a black corset, purple straps around her shoulders, black shorts, a large blue skirt over it, and pointy looking shoes. Naminé guessed it was some kind of armour. "Kairi, what are you doing stealing the patients from their hospital beds?"

"She was wandering the halls," Kairi said, making Naminé flush in embarrassment, "but that's not important! She has some super cool news to tell you!"

"What super cool news?!" both Keyblade fighters said at the same time. They stopped fighting.

Naminé ran up to the blond one, bowing before saying, "You have my eternal gratitude for saving me in Dark City three years ago!"

"Excuse me?" he asked, blue eyes wide with confusion.

"Naminé, Ventus has never been to Dark City," Master Aqua said.

"Oh!" the brunet she didn't know the name of placed his fist in his palm, "You must have mistaken Ventus for Roxas."

"Oh?" Naminé said, bowing again. "I apologise!"

_Ventus_ laughed it off cheerily, "It's okay. It happens to everyone."

"Wow!" said the brunet, "Roxas really saved you in Dark City? How did you get over here?"

"Through the Corridors of Darkness." A frightened gasp from everyone surrounding her caused Naminé to panic. She looked at all of them in turn. All of them stepped back from her, as if she had somehow grown another head. Naminé felt hurt. "What's wrong?"

"You can _use_ the Corridors of Darkness?" Master Aqua said in bewilderment, stepping closer to Naminé as if she was approaching some kind of wild beast.

"…Yes?" she replied, though it sounded like a question. Suddenly she felt self-conscious. "I-I used the Corridors to escape Dark City. I don't understand… Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You do know that only Heartless can use the Corridors of Darkness?"

"I realise that…" Naminé said sadly, "but after an incident when the Heartless first attacked my world, I thought I'd died. But then I woke up again, and I could use this ability to summon the doors."

"We're going to need to speak to Axel and Roxas about this," the brunet said, tapping his chin in a thinking gesture.

"We can wonder about that later," Kairi said, dismissing the information. She placed a hand on Naminé's shoulder, "Even if she can use the Corridors of Darkness, she's not a Heartless, because she's a Keyblade Wielder!"

The group around her gasped once again, except this time, they smile instead of looking at her in horror. "Is it true?" Aqua asked her.

Naminé stood back and summoned the keyblade to her hand, holding it out to them to inspect it. It glittered in the sunlight. That was another thing that Naminé was getting used to; the lightness around her. Dark City was exactly that: Dark, forever night. But this place was beautiful because she could see everything.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Aqua said, touching the staff of the blade.

"Naminé said its name is Lunar Eclipse."

She dismissed the Keyblade, and it disappeared in a flash of white light. Master Aqua thought about the entire situation, examining Naminé curiously. "Well, I guess I have no other choice than to offer you a spot in the Academy."

"Some Academy," the brunet joked. "We've got eight students, three teachers, and guys that aren't even using the keyblade as their primary weapon."

"Shut up."

"I haven't gotten your name," Naminé said to him.

"Oh, my name's Sora," he grinned happily, placing his hands behind his head. "Nice to meet you." This was the one that was extremely experienced with his Keyblade.

"And you as well," she replied, dipping her head in acknowledgement.

"Well, Naminé," Master Aqua said, "it's entirely your decision, but we really could use all the help we could get. You being able to use the keyblade is a monumental gift. Would you join us to try and rid the worlds of this Heartless threat?"

"Um…" Naminé looked down, trying to evaluate her feelings. More fighting. But… she wanted to get stronger. She wanted revenge on the Heartless for destroying her family. She wanted to make sure what happened to everyone she ever loved, would not happen to anyone else. But… more fighting. She'd been scarred from what she'd seen. Adults had abandoned children in hopes of saving themselves. People had killed each other, before the Heartless even came close, so that they might die on their own terms. "Can I have some time to think about it?"

"Of course," Master Aqua said, her eyes closing into happy arches. She was so kind. "Now firstly Naminé, it would be a good idea to check in with our Healer. The fact that you can use the Corridors of Darkness means you have been infected with the Heartless strain."

"What?!" Naminé exclaimed in horror. "Do you mean I'm going to turn into a Heartless?!"

"Well," Kairi said guiltily, "how long have you been able to use the Corridors of Darkness?"

"For three years."

Aqua placed two fingers to her chin, wondering about this, "Now, time moves differently in all the worlds. The Heartless have been here for over ten years, but according to Naminé, it's only been three years, while if you talk with Axel and Roxas, it's been over six years since the invasion."

"Really?!" Naminé said in bewilderment.

"But Roxas and Axel arrived in Twilight Town after they left Dark City, so their time was distorted. Still, every Heartless being that's taken shape and been able to talk say that everything started in Dark City, so it's safe to assume the Heartless invaded Dark City first. At this point, I don't think you turning into a Heartless is a big possibility."

"My head's started to spin," Ventus murmured.

"Okay, I'll take Naminé to Aerith. The rest of you keep at it! Sora, you're Gravara is looking a little poor."

"Oh c'mon!"

* * *

Aerith was a beautiful woman who didn't even flinch when she found out that Naminé could use the Corridors of Darkness. She sat down on the examination table in a separate section of the medical wing.

"Now, I left an elixir by your bed while you were sleeping," she said quietly, "did you drink it?"

"Was that the mixture in the golden ball?"

"Precisely."

"Yes, I did. It was wonderful. I haven't felt this healthy in years."

Aerith held a look of sadness in her deep forest green eyes, "I supposed you wouldn't have. When I think of the horror you went through in that city… and all alone too." A small tear gathered at the corner of her eye. Naminé panicked.

"Oh please don't… I… I'm just happy to be somewhere else now! I'm very happy to meet people like Kairi and Master Aqua who have been so accommodating."

"Ah yes," Aerith wiped away the tear before she went about checking Naminé's muscle reactions and blood pressure. "You're in regular shape, I suppose all that fighting kept you moving constantly."

"Yes."

"If you continue your education, then you'll have to shape up a little more in order to keep up to everyone else. Now, how is your mana?"

"My mana?" Naminé asked in confusion, brushing her fringe from her eyes. "What does that mean?"

"Oh child, all Keyblade Wielders have the ability to cast magic."

"Really?"

"Oh dear, you're going to be a little behind. Once you start learning under the teachers, then I'll have a word with Merlin. He teaches all the Keyblade Wielders the magic spells. If he's unavailable, Terra, Aqua and Eraqus can help you. Or Riku and Sora, they're proficient with most of their magic."

"I really have the ability to cast magic?"

"Wait a second!" Aerith flipped through a folder by her desk labelled 'Axel'. "Actually, it might not be the case."

"It won't?" she asked, a note of disappointment ringing through.

"Well… maybe. See, Axel and Roxas are also able to use the Corridors of Darkness. They are like you in most respects, since the both of them are Keyblade Wielders at the same time."

"Hmm." _Does that mean the both of them went through the same thing I did? Did the both of them… die?_

"You see, Axel is only able to use fire magic."

"Really?"

"Yes. He's proficient with it. Very gifted. He can use tactics that no other can, but he cannot use any other type of magic. Plus, he also prefers to use a different weapon other than the keyblade; two spinning chakrams. And Roxas, even though he can use different types of magic, he can use a special element that no one else can."

"What is it?"

"Light."

"Light can be used as a weapon?"

"In Roxas' case anyway. So you might be a little different as well," Aerith said, her tone brimming with curiosity. "Well, let's find out."

**tbc.**

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Is it too much of an information dump? Is it too confusing? Do you love it? Hate it? Tell me why in a review.

Stay excellent.


	3. Unexpected Visitors

**author's note.**

We finally get to introduce Roxas! I'm excited. :)

**summary before** Nov 24 '12: "Years ago, her life was uprooted when the Heartless invaded her home and took away everything she ever loved. Three years later, and Naminé's found a way to Hollow Bastion, the stronghold of The Keyblade Wielders; the only hope humanity has against the darkness that surrounds them. But she has her own inner demons to battle."

**enjoi.**

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**Toy Soldiers**

"_Fearless is getting back up and fighting for what you want over and over again...even though every time you've tried before you've lost."_ ~Taylor Swift

Chapter Three: _Unexpected Visitors_

"Well, you have a large reserve of magic, I can feel it. But it's unused, and it might be a little hard to cast spells at first, but you'll get the hang of it," Aerith said, taking her hand off Naminé's arm and writing down a few notes in a blank file. She brought out a small contraption the young blond hadn't seen in forever. "Smile for the camera, okay?"

After the polaroid was taken, Aerith waved it about and placed it in the file before labelling it in pretty cursive writing 'Naminé'. For some reason, the action filled Naminé with extreme happiness. She had an official presence here.

"It looks like you're good to go, but there isn't any more information I can learn from you until you learn to cast magic. Until then, you should take these." Aerith gave Naminé sparkling blue flasks filled with blue liquid with a green star floating around inside, "These are potions. It's a necessity for everyone, even civilians, to carry at least two on them at all times. You drink them when you're injured, but it works if you just pour it over a wound too."

"Thank you so much-"

Before Naminé could finish her sentence, Axel slammed the door of the infirmary open panting as if he'd just run all the way up here, "The Heartless are attempting to board the elevator from The Rising Falls! Aerith, we need you! Kairi is the only other advanced Healer there!"

"I'm going now!" the Healer replied, running out the door.

Naminé shot up instantly, naturally inclined to help, but she didn't know where The Rising Falls were. It was an odd name. She should have followed Aerith, but she'd undoubtedly lost her by now. Axel gave Naminé a grim expression before opening a Corridor of Darkness and stepping though.

_I might not know where The Rising Falls are, but I bet Axel does._

Naminé looked left and right; making sure none of the other patients saw her before she ran into the swirling black mass. Only a few seconds later, and she bumped into someone's back. Axel looked at her astounded before turning around and shaking her shoulders, "Kid! That's dangerous! Don't ever run into the Corridors of Darkness again! Got it memorised?"

_"AXEL!"_

There was a flash of gold and manila before a shower of sparks and bright lights appeared before both Axel and Naminé. _Roxas_, she assumed, had blocked the blow of a _flying_ Heartless with a beautiful white Keyblade. She looked around to examine her environment. It had been named appropriately. The waterfalls were _backwards._ She was confused. And she'd never seen a flying Heartless before. But now wasn't the time for asking questions.

"Can you stop flirting and _help_ me?!" he yelled, driving his blade through the Heartless' guard and slicing it in half. The remains of the Heartless disappeared in wisps of black smoke. Naminé stared in awe as Roxas swung his made left and right. The Heartless didn't even get the chance to attack him. It looked less like battling and more like dancing. She didn't realise she was staring until Roxas barrelled towards her and pushed her out of the way, "What's a _civilian _doing here?! Get out of the _way!_"

_That's right. I didn't come here to gawk. I came here to fight!_

Naminé summoned her Keyblade running into the mass of writhing black soldiers. There were Heartless here she had never seen before, but that wouldn't stop her from taking out the ones she recognised from Dark City. Heartless clawed at her left and right, but she was on her own. She couldn't rely on anyone else to help her. That was the way it had always been. She used Lunar Eclipse to slice through five little Shadows at once, watching as their existence blew away in the wind.

At the moment, Roxas, Kairi and Axel were the only fighters there. She panicked when a spinning chakram lit up the ground beneath her. She darted back like a startled cat, screaming when she lost her footing and fell off the levitating platforms. "Naminé!" she heard Kairi scream. But before she could fall to the waters below, Roxas grabbed her hand and yanked her forward.

"Keep up, Dead Weight!"

In the blink of an eye, he was gone again and Kairi was defending her with her own Keyblade while Naminé attempted to regain her wits. Kairi was definitely more defence based, making sure she blocked every so often right before she attacked.

Naminé regained her footing just as Kairi shot an ice spell from her hands, taking out the trail of Axel's fire magic and every Heartless that was burning in the flames. They'd probably taken out at least a hundred Heartless by now, but the numbers never failed to stop growing.

"Kairi!" Axel waved over to them while Roxas was fiddling with the controls for the elevator. Something he touched turned from blue to red and the lift started to slowly ascend. Kairi and Naminé started sprinting for the lift, taking out every Heartless that blocked their path with either magic or their blades. They arrived just in time, if they'd waited any more, then they wouldn't have been able to make the jump.

The four of them panted, taking the time to shoot any flying Heartless down before Roxas burst into accusations, "What in Etro's name are you doing bringing a rookie Keyblade Wielder into the fight?" he snapped at Axel. Naminé cowered because she didn't know how to deal with Roxas' tone. Fight, fight, fight. They had to battle the Heartless; she didn't think they should have been squabbling among each other.

"I didn't, Rox," Axel said, straightening himself. He was rather tall, Naminé noted, and his hair made him more so. "She hijacked my Corridor of Darkness from The Infirmary."

"Are you insane?" Roxas growled at Naminé, causing her to flush and inch behind Kairi for protection.

"Woah, so you're not even fazed that she's a Keyblade Wielder in the first place?"

"I'm sorry. I j-just wanted to help!"

"Stop being so mean, Roxas," Kairi stuck her tongue out at him.

"Real mature, Kairi."

"Naminé's spent three years in Dark City fending for herself-!"

"I know," he replied, sitting on the edge of the platform. An uncomfortable silence shut the group up as they ascended towards the back gate of The Castle. Naminé tried to ignore the lump in her throat or the heat on her face as she observed Hollow Bastion from a distance. The Castle was a large overcomplicated structure that had a strange wicked beauty around it. The whole thing must have been suspended by magic. There was no way it could have stood on its own. The town, though run down, looked like it held some semblance of organisation. Leon was doing a good job.

When the lift finally reached The Castle Aerith and Aqua were waiting for them, checking to see that each person was okay. When Aerith finally came to Naminé she checked the expanse of her body, speaking incredibly fast as she said, "Are you alright? You didn't break anything did you? No cuts? Tears? Affected by any Heartless poison?"

"I'm alright," she murmured quietly.

"Please don't scare me! One of the patients wandered from the wing and told me you'd disappeared using Axel's Corridor of Darkness."

"Yeah," Axel said, placing a hand on his waist, "that's dangerous Kiddo. Don't do that."

Naminé pouted angrily before raising her hand and opening a Corridor herself. The group's eyes widened as they watched her do it. The platinum blond closed her hand and the Corridor disappeared.

"She's just like us, Rox," the red-head said, elbowing Roxas in the ribs. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, unimpressed. Naminé's eyes met his for a brief moment; it felt like electricity had jolted her whole body. The both of them looked away at the same time. She'd probably been too impulsive.

Aqua brought Naminé to see Master Eraqus and Master Terra while Kairi was sent to fetch a handyman they called Cid, who would check that the elevator near Rising Falls was still working properly. Rising falls was a popular drop off spot for travellers, and that's why there was an elevator leading from them to the back of The Castle.

Master Eraqus was an elderly, but still very capable man. Firstly, he asked Naminé to summon her Keyblade which she did with no hassle at all. He inspected it before turning to Terra.

"How long have you been able to wield it?" the brown-haired Master asked.

"For about three years."

"And you said you come from Dark City?"

She nodded.

"How did you get here?"

Naminé paused after that, unsure whether she wanted to tell them, but Aqua beat her to it, "Using the Corridors of Darkness."

"You can summon them?" asked Master Eraqus.

She nodded timidly, wringing her hands as she evaluated their expressions. Was it really that rare? After all, Axel and Roxas could use them as well. She wondered why they were able to. _What makes us so different from everyone else?_

"Does this affect your ability to cast magic?" Aqua questioned.

"I can't cast magic," Naminé said, clutching her head. "I don't know how."

"But you can use your blade to a satisfactory standard," the blue-haired master murmured. "Axel told me so, although you could use a little work."

"That is to say," Terra said, "if you're willing to help us."

"Although we can create Keyblade Wielders, it takes years to train them. Those that have found their Keyblades through luck alone are definitely gifted with something incredible. We really could use all the help we could get," Aqua said gently, placing a hand on Naminé's shoulder.

The three masters looked at her imploringly, and Naminé looked down, placing her fingers to her lips as if she was going to bite the nails. It had been an old habit of hers while she wondered what to do in Dark City. If she stayed and fought, she could protect people from getting hurt. Plus, she could better learn to defend herself from the Heartless. She could stay in The Castle, and learn how to cast magic, be with other Keyblade Wielders who she could be friends with. She would be surrounded by people who understood her problems. The thought of being surrounded by people again was the decider.

"Yes."

There was no official ceremony, but two handshakes and a 'Welcome to Hollow Bastion' from Terra before the both of them had to disappear to do masterly stuff.

"You'll be under my jurisdiction," Aqua said. "I take care of Xion and Kairi. Terra handles Sora, Riku and Ventus. Master Eraqus handles Roxas and Axel, but he also takes care of me and Terra, making sure that we're doing our jobs properly."

"Master Eraqus was your master before?"

"Yes he was. He is a brilliant teacher. You can go to him when Terra and I are unavailable, but first we've got to go to Merlin and borrow a book of spells from you. And then we'll go and see about getting you a decent set of armour."

"Armour? Like yours?" Naminé pondered.

"Like mine," Aqua nodded. "Sometimes you'll find that you're weakened against a particular element, or you need armour that protects you while still moving pretty fast, you're going to need lightweight armour, or if you want heavy armour, that has more durability, you go for that. There are special magical bracelets and necklaces that allow you special reserves of strength and health. Eventually, you'll come to realise what's best suited for you."

"How will I pay for it?" the younger girl asked.

"Ah yes," Aqua summoned a small little drawstring bag, just like she would have a keyblade, "Each Keyblade Wielder is given an allowance, this will be to spend on weapon maintenance, extra homework books and items of your choosing."

"What does that entail?"

"The free items?" Aqua laughed, "Just things that keep you happy. Kairi spends it on clothing. Roxas buys a lot of books. Xion spends it on ice cream."

"Wow," Naminé moaned, "I forgot what ice cream tastes like."

Aqua laughed, her bright eyes lighting up as she patted Naminé on the head, "I'll buy some for you after we get the book of spells. There's a brilliant ice cream vendor in the Marketplace. He's such a tightwad though…"

Her voice trailed off as two speeding boys jetted past on skateboards, one she recognised as Roxas, while the other one was Sora, who was holding a fur-trimmed jacket up like a flag. Aqua started laughing when a brunet man passed the both of them, holding a large silver blade. He paused a second to ready his aim and shoot between the two thieves, creating a massive crater in the ground before yelling, "Come back here you brats!"

"Who was that?" Naminé asked as he ran around the corner. The crater was still crackling with fire magic. She couldn't believe he would use that kind of attack magic on kids. But then again, those kids were Keyblade Wielders.

"That was Leon," she giggled, placing her hand over her mouth. "The young students like to tease him sometimes by stealing his jacket. It's one of his prized possessions."

"Isn't that unwise?" she replied worriedly.

"Sometimes we have to unwind, Naminé. If we're serious absolutely every second of the day, then our minds become vulnerable to the darkness."

"I see."

They entered a small little house and were immediately assaulted by streams of fireworks and the smell of burning paper. An old man in a blue robe was running around and flapping the growing fires with dirty rags.

"Blizzara," Aqua said, and from her fingertips three jets of ice quelled the flames.

"Ah, thank you, Aqua," Merlin said, shaking away the ice from one of his books. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

Naminé was delighted by the wizard's house. It was covered in colourful books and at the centre of the room she was in was a bright set of teacups. Out of the corner of her vision she could swear they were moving.

"This is our newest Keyblade Apprentice, Naminé."

"Wonderful to meet you, young lady," Merlin said, grabbing Naminé's hand with one hand and trying to balance three books and a cup of tea in the other. He looked frail and skinny but he was moving about with a great deal of speed.

"She needs a book of spells."

"Now, I swear I had one…" Merlin waved his free hand and a book came zooming out of nowhere. The Keyblade Master caught it before it could hit Naminé's head. She flipped through it, smiling like she was recalling a fond memory. She closed it and handed it to Naminé, who knew now that she needed to invest in a satchel of some kind, either that or learn the stashing trick she'd seen Aqua pull with the drawstring bag.

"Thank you," Naminé said to the wizard.

"Not a problem, Dear. Aqua, I do have a favour to ask you. I hear Sora found a page for Pooh's book on his last mission, if he could drop it here before he leaves for his next one?"

"No problem. Goodbye Merlin!"

"Goodbye girls!"

"Now," said Aqua, stretching languidly, "how about that ice cream?"

**tbc.**

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It's calm at the moment, but the action is sure to come soon, once actual lessons start. Please review~


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